Welcome

Vanaprastha Vrata

For a year (May 28, 2018 - May 28, 2019) i will be living off grid at the Bhagavat Commune studying the Caitanya Caritamrta and other books pertaining to Lord Caitanya. Check out the video below to see what i've been doing for the past decade or so and what inspired me to take this vow.

About Us

The Bhagavat Commune has gone through many evolutionary changes over the last several years, and, like a stone becoming naturally polished by the flow of a river, i think that we are really honing in on the essence of what the Bhagavat Commune was created for.

A brief overview of this evolution can be viewed by clicking the "project evolution" tab at the top of this page, but for this introduction we will focus on the present and also take a glimpse into the future of the Bhagavat Commune.

On our breath-takingly picturesque sixty acres of mountainous forest, scattered with flowing streams and waterfalls and nestled in the national forest of Kentucky, we will be offering several options for retreats, seminars and immersion workshops for those who are inspired and determined to deepen their practice of Krsna Bhakti.

Such workshops are designed to help us: understand and engage our conditioned natures; to learn how to see Krsna’s personal presence everywhere; to effectively and practically implement Vaisnava culture into our lives; to become dynamic in our relationship with Sri Hari; to understand the importance of faith and how to strengthen it; and many other essential aspects of devotional service.

Because these workshops are designed to show the practical application of all of these aspects of Bhakti, there will also be many hands-on activities such as growing, harvesting and cooking food for Krsna, and building simple shelters and other essential items out of natural raw materials. These activities not only help us follow the “simple living and high thinking” principle, but they also help us understand that everything we need is provided by Krsna and not by the modern commerce-driven template.

It is not our intention to inspire our guests to drop out of society and move into the woods, but to inspire them to become less attached to the concepts of consumeristic society which yields temporary results, and more focused on the eternal principles of Bhakti which yield eternal benefit. The process of Bhakti can be followed anywhere. Our goal is to help aspiring Vaisnavas strengthen their understanding of the universal principles of Vaisnava culture and effectively apply it in their particular lifestyles regardless of their current material situations.

It does not matter what level one is currently at. As long as one is motivated to bring Bhakti further to the front of one’s life, the Bhagavat Commune is a great place to get the necessary training to achieve that goal.

Srila Prabhupada wanted his followers to adhere to the philosophy of simple living and high thinking. He also wanted his followers to scrutinize his books and present our philosophy and culture to the general public. In 1972 Srila Prabhupada instructed his disciples to “boil the milk”, which means that the quality of ISKCON members is more important than the quantityof ISKCON members. If we have a lot of people who follow a little of the philosophy, we are sending the wrong impression and not giving an accurate representation of this important mission.

There are a several communities around the world who are dedicated to live up to these instructions, and this is our humble attempt to do the same.